First off, he's not beating Holmes nor Tyson, not a chance. Gerrie Coetzee -He had power but stamina and durability issues , I don't think it's that unreasonable to think Sharkey has a chance. Bone crusher- ugly fight but Jack might out work him. Trevor Berbick -He was awkward and tough, but on an off night maybe? Pinklon Thomas -Thomas should beat him over 15. If he caught guys like Greg Page or John Tate when they were slipping, then maybe.
Neither Sharkey nor most of the 80s heavys are consistent enough for me to make a pick here. Below Tyson, Holmes and Witherspoon is all I know.
It seems that we have a sea of inconsistency here, outside of Holmes and Tyson. So where does Sharkey fit into this sea of inconsistency. Something of a standout to be honest. One thing that gets lost about Sharkey, is that he actually had a pretty long run of form against the top contenders. When you boil it all down, the two obvious standouts, are going to be Sharkey and Witherspoon.
He'd get sparked out by Anders Eklund and we'd never hear from him again... if we had heard of him at all.
Apart from Holmes and Tyson, Sharkey would be competitive with just about anyone and would manage a win or two imo. From what I have seen, he seems to be the type that can be difficult to deal with if you let him get into a certain rhythm.
Sharkey would be pretty good up into the sixties though he would be badly beaten by Liston or Ali and would probably lose vs prime Patterson or E Terrell. He could compete with Quarry Bonavena Ellis etc win some lose some. Starting in the early seventies hes going to have increasing trouble. Foreman Norton Holmes and others will be hard to match up with based on size disadvantage. The 80s will be hard to get in the top 10. He would have to gain muscle weight to compete and then you get into that unknown of what kind of fighter are we recreating him to be. It’s impossible to know. Suffice to say the Sharkey that fought Dempsey is not beating the top guys in the 80s.
How would he get into a rhythm against Witherspoon, Tubbs, Dokes, Tucker, Pinky...? I just don't see him being competitive with the sort of athlete that came along in the 80's. Size, speed and skill is a dangerous combination. Even with booger sugar involved.
He perhaps picks up a belt. The 80s fighters weren't known for their consistency, even if they did have talent. An on his game, prime Sharkey could snatch a belt, especially if he's fighting an off kilter version of one of the 80s belt holders.
